Text Size

USDA FACT SHEET: COOL IS NOT A SAFETY MEASURE: Attorneys representing the American Meat Institute and eight other packer and processing groups are using a recent USDA document in an attempt to convince a federal appeals court that country-of-origin labeling is not a food safety measure and the rules should be struck down as they refer to meat for violating the First Amendment.

The meat groups are responding to questions asked by the U.S Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia during Jan. 9 oral arguments in a letter filed Jan. 14. They point to a USDA fact sheet produced in August, that clarifies COOL is not a food safety effort, but merely intended to inform consumers.

“Food safety and traceability are not the stated intent of the rule, and the COOL program does not replace any other established regulatory programs that relate to food safety or traceability,” the groups say in their letter to the three-judge panel. The USDA statement makes clear, AMI continues, that “the government does not contend that COOL serves a health or safety interest, and that should be determinative of the matter.” The letter is available here: http://politico.pro/1bSZyuw

GOOD MORNING! Welcome to Morning Ag, where if you haven’t already seen the first lady dunking a basketball with members of the Miami Heat as part of a new promotion for her “Let’s Move!” campaign, well, you should probably watch this now: http://deadsp.in/1dsngd3. As always, feel free to send thoughts, news and tips to jhopkinson@politico.com and @jennyhops. Follow us @Morning_Ag and @POLITICOPro.

LIVESTOCK GROUPS: NOT SO FAST: Back to the COOL case playing out in Washington. In a separate Jan. 15 letter, livestock groups intervening on behalf of USDA in the suit, argue that Congress intended for COOL to have some health and safety effects when it was passed. The groups cite a Nov. 6, 2003 floor speech from Sen. Tim Johnson, a sponsor of the original legislation calling for COOL that was eventually included in the 2002 farm bill. He noted in the speech that COOL “is the only method we have now to differentiate and identify meat that comes from our country as opposed to meat that comes from other countries; for instance, meat that may come from a BSE-infected, mad-cow-infected country. We don’t claim country-of-origin labeling is, per se, a food safety issue, but it certainly is a consumer confidence issue.”

The letter, which was filed by the American Sheep Industry Association, Consumer Federation of America, National Farmers Union and United States Cattlemen's Association, is available here: http://politico.pro/1jvKCnL

**A message from POWERJobs: Jobs on our radar this week: USDA Director of Business Development at SAIC, Senior Director, China at U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and Science, Technology & EconomicBoard Director at The National Academies. Interested? Apply to these jobs and more at www.POWERJobs.com; finally, a career site made for YOU!**

ANOTHER SHOT AT DOLPHIN-SAFE LABELS: Mexico is getting another shot at convincing international officials that U.S. rules for labeling tuna “dolphin-safe” are bogus, reports Pro Trade’s Eric Bradner this morning.

“On Wednesday, the World Trade Organization is set to launch another compliance panel to investigate whether the United States’ labeling rules comply with international trade obligations. It’s the latest chapter in the two-decade-old imbroglio, which plays out as the two countries battle over another trade issue — the United States’ country-of-origin meat-labeling mandate.

“The WTO sided with Mexico in a 2012 ruling that ordered the United States to overhaul its dolphin-safe labeling rules. However, last July, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration responded by announcing rules that require captains of all tuna fishing vessels, not just Mexico’s, to certify that their hauls resulted in no dolphin deaths or serious injuries. It was a creative solution: Rather than giving Mexico the looser rules it wanted, the United States tightened the policy on everyone else.

“But the move infuriated Mexico, which for two decades has argued that the U.S. labeling scheme is plagued with problems, and that the United States should ditch its current system and replace it with an international pact the countries signed two decades ago, which would impose regulations based on results rather than specific fishing practices. Click here for more:” http://politico.pro/1bhxmgY

CRP ACRES LIKELY SLASHED IN FARM BILL: Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) is warning that acreage for the Conservation Reserve Program will be slashed as part of the farm bill agreement being negotiated by the four principals on the conference committee, AgWeek reports. “Thune said CRP will likely be capped at 24 million acres enrolled nationwide at any one time, which is down from 32 million acres in the 2008 farm bill. ‘That would be the lowest we’ve seen,’ Thune said … ‘Since I’ve been in Congress, it’s always been up in the mid-30 million range.’” The story is available here: http://bit.ly/KDusvS

N.H. HOUSE TO VOTE ON GMO BILL: New Hampshire’s House of Representatives is expected to vote today on the state’s GMO labeling bill, HB 660, which is largely consistent with labeling laws in Connecticut and Maine. If it passes, it will still need to be considered by the state Senate. However, its future in the House is unclear as the bill received an unfavorable vote in the committee on environment and agriculture in November. All bills in New Hampshire’s House go to the floor regardless of how the committee of jurisdiction votes.

Among those who voted against the measure in committee were Reps. Tara Sad and Bob Haefner, chair and ranking minority member of the committee, respectively, who detailed their opposition in an op-ed published yesterday in the Manchester, N.H.-based Union Leader. The lawmakers cited a lack of health and safety data, constitutional issues and enforcement concerns. Labeling should be a federal issue, they argue. The op-ed is available here: http://bit.ly/1ikoT4B

Meanwhile, Rhode Island’s House Committee on Health, Education and Welfare is set to hear testimony today on two bills that seek to require labeling for GMO foods in the state, EcoRInews reports: http://bit.ly/1dRK8qK

JOURNALISTS PUSH COURT TO STRIKE UTAH ‘AG GAG’ LAW: The Reporters Committee for the Freedom of the Press and 16 other journalism groups and newspapers are urging a federal court in Utah to strike down the state’s “ag gag” statute, arguing that the measure weakens food safety and unconstitutionally stifles free speech. In a Jan. 15 amicus brief, filed in the case of Animal Legal Defense Fund, et al., v. Herbert, et al., the groups argue that citizen and journalist investigations into meat processing facilities fill gaps in the federal oversight of such facilities, and as such should be protected.

“While no journalist has the right to trespass on private property, the overbreadth of the Utah statute poses a substantial risk of criminalizing lawful — and constitutionally protected — newsgathering activity,” the groups write. The brief is available here: http://politico.pro/1kV45m8

GROUPS CALL FOR BEE NUTRITION SUMMIT: Ag and pollinator groups are asking USDA to host a summit on bee nutrition and forage to develop collaborative measures to address the problem. In a Jan. 15 letter to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, more than 50 groups, including the National Association of Wheat Growers, the American Beekeeping Federation and the American Farm Bureau Federation, ask that the summit be scheduled in conjunction with an October meeting of the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign.

“We believe the Bee Nutrition and Forage Summit will serve as the catalyst for collaborative efforts resulting in outcomes which provide real improvements in bee health, due to increased understanding of the nutritional needs of honey bees and increased opportunities to access and improve bee forage on the American landscape,” the groups say. The letter is available here: http://bit.ly/1jlylF4

30 HOUSE LAWMAKERS CALL FOR CORN ETHANOL INCREASE IN RFS: A bipartisan group of 30 House lawmakers is calling on EPA to scrap its 2014 proposed corn ethanol mandate under the Renewable Fuel Standard and finalize a proposal that sets volumes based on production in order to protect farmers and promote domestic energy production. In the three-page letter, sent Jan. 16 to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, the lawmakers, led by Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.), argue that should the agency move forward with its plan to revert to 2012 requirements for ethanol, the “rule could hurt rural economies, jeopardize American jobs, raise prices at the pump and deter investment in biofuels and biofuel infrastructure. We are further concerned that the rationale used by the EPA is inconsistent with the current statute and could jeopardize the future of the renewable fuel industry.” The letter is available here: http://1.usa.gov/1eFmzQ4

MA’s INSTANT OATS

- The Senate Agriculture Committee could vote as early as next month to approve Timothy Massad to lead the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, sending the nomination on to a final Senate vote, despite some concerns over his approach to financial regulation, the Wall Street Journal reports: http://on.wsj.com/LDJG4Y

- Lawmakers in Kentucky are optimistic that a provision in the House version of the farm bill that would allow for the industrial production of hemp will be included in a compromise bill, KYforward.com reports: http://bit.ly/1eb5OKW

- Food banks are preparing for increased demand due to likely cuts to the food stamp program in a final farm bill, the New York Times reports: http://nyti.ms/1ilzU5q

- The (Charlotte, N.C.) Observer editorial board warns of the problems that could arise should the Obama administration move forward with its plan to speed up poultry processing lines: http://bit.ly/1f45r8N

- A bill in the Indiana State Senate that aims to crack down on farm trespassing was voted out of committee yesterday, the AP reports: http://bit.ly/1kV5toE

- Whole Foods is preparing to prohibit the sale of produce that has been fertilized with sewage sludge from its stores, NPR reports: http://n.pr/19M64nR

**A message from POWERJobs: Tap into the power of POWERJobs for the newest job opportunities in the Washington area from the area’s top employers, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, American Public Human Services Association, and AARP. Powered by names you trust — POLITICO, WTOP, WJLA/ABC-TV, NewsChannel 8 and Federal News Radio- POWERJOBS is the ultimate career site with more than 2 million job searches and nearly 17,000 applications submitted this year so far. Connect through Facebook or LinkedIn, search jobs by industry and set up job-specific email alerts using www.POWERJobs.com, the site for Washington’s top talent.**